Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, has a long and rich history that dates back to the 8th century BC. The city was originally a Thracian settlement known as Serdica, which was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century AD. During the Middle Ages, Sofia was part of the Byzantine Empire, and then it became part of the Bulgarian Empire in the 14th century.
Sofia experienced a period of growth and development during the Ottoman period, in which it was known as Sofya. In the late 19th century, Sofia became the capital of the newly liberated Principality of Bulgaria. After Bulgaria’s independence, Sofia was declared the capital of the newly formed Kingdom of Bulgaria in 1908.
Since then, Sofia has grown significantly and is now one of the largest cities in the Balkans and one of the most important economic, cultural, and political centres in the region. It is home to numerous universities, museums, galleries, and other attractions. Today, Sofia is a vibrant and modern city that is quickly becoming an important centre of the European Union.
I had some Bulgarian friends and colleagues in London, so I wanted to visit the famous capital. Quite different from what I’ve expected. It is very post soviet city. A lot of communism style statues across the city. The pavements not very good and be careful stepping on the well lids. No, not because of superstition, because I almost fell into one of them.
The weather was very cold. I took a taxi from airport. Used app called TaxiMe. You still need cash to pay though, but I think if you register you can use card. It was 11lev as opposed to what they ask at airport taxui – 20lev. The host of Airbnb greeted me at midnight in a flat. When I walked into the building I thought wtf.
Chairs were chained to the radiators (not that anyone would take those old ugly chairs).
We climbed to the top of the building. The door were new and made of steel – good, whew!
The host told me everything about Sofia, where to eat and go out, but I was already half asleep 😴. It was warm and cosy.
In the morning I saw amazing rooftops through the window. I went for a breakfast/lunch.
I went to eat where the host recommended. It looked different.
The experience wasn’t great, though food was good. First, people were smoking inside, which was very annoying. Second it took me around 2 hours to eat. 30min to take order, another 30 to bring wine, then food after another 30min and they mixed my order.
The food was great. I’ve ordered ribs, but got chicken wings and also got some lamb with garlic. Delicious! Total was 50lev.
Not much to see to be honest, three churches, parliament and some monument.
It was a bit night at night.
The last night I went for traditional meal in Bulgarian restaurant. It was very interesting. They had traditional dancing and singing. So cool! Carpets everywhere!
The food was great. 50lev again. But this one looked much better and chairs were not broken and the table cloth was not ripped off haha.
In the morning took a taxi using app again. 10.50lev.
Chekced in and passed security in 10minutes. Fastest security ever! Because I was the only one passing lol.
I liked the view with the mountains behind.